This weekend will see the first 2025 Carnival bandlaunch taking place.
Yuma’s Echoes of Iere is being launched on June 29 at International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain.
A number of bands will follow, with the popular Tribe group of bands having its Sunset Weekend from July 5-7.
As the launches begin, Newsday spoke to Ronnie and Caro’s Ronnie McIntosh and Showtime’s CEO Godfrey Enile about their 2025 presentations and expectations for next year’s Carnival.
This year, Ronnie and Caro will host a physical launch, after hosting them virtually for a number of years.
In a phone interview Ronnie McIntosh said the band had not hosted a physical launch for the past decade for a number of reasons, with finances being a major part.
The launch will take place on July 12 from 4-6 pm, with a parade in Port of Spain.
“We normally do the street parade leaving from Memorial Park by National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) and coming down Frederick Street with a big truck and, of course, the models in costume so it gives the masquerader a closer look as to what the costume would look like on the streets in the sun,” McIntosh said.
Wanting to bring some positive energy back to Port of Spain was one of the main reasons for the return to a physical launch.
Asked if there were concerns about crime in the city, he said the band had no fears.
[caption id="attachment_1092874" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Ronnie and Caro's 2025 Carnival presentation Shall We Dance will launch on July 12 with a parade in Port of Spain. (Photo courtesy Ronnie and Caro) -[/caption]
“Over the last couple of years, the city has been getting a lot of negative energy, and so Ronnie and Caro wants to bring positive energy and fun. We want to bring it back to what it used to be,” he said.
There will be live performances on a big truck, but he added that depended on
who was available, as many artistes were travelling during that period. People can expect to see about 40-50 models on the streets, and also some moko jumbies, McIntosh said.
The band’s 2025 theme is Shall We Dance, and it will portray some of Trinidad and Tobago’s folk dances like the belé and heel and toe. However, the central idea will artistically show dances from across the globe.
McIntosh said some of soca’s past dances will be a surprise element in the band.
The Donkey Dance was one of McIntosh’s hit songs.
“It is about keeping light and keeping local with a little international flavour in between,” he said.
There will be ten sections. For the 2025 Carnival, McIntosh hopes that those responsible for hosting the festival will do something to keep prices affordable for visitors. He reiterated Trinidad had to be careful not to make its Carnival one of the most expensive ones in the world.
McIntosh was very clear that Tobago was not included in this.
“Everyone tries to capitalise on the high season. For some reason now, the emphasis is always being placed on the bandleaders and the cost of the costumes.
“But also take into consideration that what
